- KIMBO GOING TO THE UFC VIA ULTIMATE FIGHTER 10

by Ken Pishna – MMAWeekly.com
Though the promotion has been otherwise tight lipped about participants for Season 10 of The Ultimate Fighter, dubbed “The Heavyweights,” UFC president Dana White on Monday confirmed to Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports that Kevin
“Kimbo Slice” Ferguson is one of the 16 chosen participants.

This season, which is currently heading into filming, will feature only heavyweights, the first season of the series to highlight only one weight class.

White has consistently poked fun at Kimbo, saying that he’s not a real fighter and was pushed into headlining bouts way too soon by his former employer, EliteXC.

The brash executive noted in the past, the only way Kimbo would make it into the UFC is via The Ultimate Fighter. Well, it appears he is willing to go that route despite rumors that he was either headed to Japan or into a possible professional boxing career.

“It should be interesting, given some of the things I’ve said about him,” White told Iole.

Indeed. Kimbo’s entire career into and in mixed martial arts has been, at the least, “interesting.” He made his way into the public conscience as a YouTube sensation; noted for his illegal street fights and backyard brawls. EliteXC picked up on his unique appeal and signed him as the focal point of its promotion.

After some training at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, and under the guidance of former UFC champion Bas Rutten, Kimbo’s skills slowly started to come together. He was immediately thrown into headlining bouts, however, roundly receiving criticism from both industry professionals and fans alike.

Following the self-destruction of EliteXC, he was courted for a time by Strikeforce; the promotion that filled EliteXC’s position as the MMA centerpiece for Showtime and CBS. The two sides were never able to come to terms, so Kimbo now finds himself angling his way into a shot at the UFC.

On The Ultimate Fighter, he will fall under the tutelage of either of two former UFC light heavyweight champions, Rashad Evans or Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. The outspoken trio of Evans, Jackson, and Slice, in any combination, has the potential to inject an amazing amount of ratings fuel into the venerable Spike TV reality series as it enters its tenth season.

None of the other 15 contestants for The Ultimate Fighter: The Heavyweights has been revealed.